Think President Obama Lost The Debate? Think Again.

The first Presidential Debate is over and in the aftermath Mitt Romney’s supporters are celebrating while President Obama’s are scratching their heads. Conventional wisdom, pundits and all of the talking heads are screaming that the President was beaten in the first debate. Words like weak, listless, and unprepared are being thrown around with impunity and the media is running with the storyline of a new and improved GOP candidate. Now they are saying that Romney that is a true challenger for the presidency. Romney’s camp is calling the debate a game changer and the paid political junkies are up in arms. Everyone’s asking “What happened?” The answer is simple and since Obama’s camp won’t say it I will. One good debate does not make a president.

Anyone saying that President Obama lost traction in the debate needs to think again. Calmness in the face of adversity is President Obama’s style. He has never been a vitriolic personality. He is not an attack dog nor does he move in ways that he’s expected to move. In short, the president is strategizing to win re-election not going for quick and cheap shots that will play well on TV. He knows that there are three debates and each will be analyzed ad nauseum in the press. By giving ground to Romney in the first debate and not attacking obvious weaknesses the President did not hand over the election. That is far from the case. What you are seeing is a long game.

The key word is encirclement. Generals throughout history have used this strategy to great effect and the result is the utter destruction of the enemy. Sun Tzu, one of history’s greatest strategists, explains the tactic clearly and concisely in his classic military tome, The Art of War. To paraphrase he says, “When you are strong, appear weak.” The appearance of weakness is only bait that encourages aggressive attack. By playing defense I believe that President Obama is dangling poison fruit in front of Romney. Hungry for a win Romney jumped at it. That was his mistake. It’s a trap. Romney’s supporters are just too excited to see that they are slowly being surrounded.

Governor Romney was clearly at the top of his game. The underdog has to be. He was prepared, poised and aggressive. He needed a win and most agree that he got it. If you look closer it isn’t that simple. Think about the Etch-A-Sketch comment. In his excitement to one-up the president he verbally reversed policies that he’s been clinging to since he started running. Suddenly he’s not going to give rich folks and businesses more tax breaks. Miraculously he will not touch Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Now, after months of indifference, he’s all about the middle class. If you believe that, I have some riverfront property to sell you that comes complete with a big silver arch-shaped structure.

Former Florida governor Charlie Crist said it best when he commented about the debates on MSNBC. According to him it seemed like people wanted “entertainment instead of facts.” Crist sees what the pundits don’t. The media wanted a fist fight and a bloodbath. They wanted the President to beat Romney about the head and leave him broken on the floor. While seeing President Obama wail on Romney about his flip-flopping, the 47% comment, Bain Capital, taxes, and all of the other ammunition at his disposal would have been great, television fistfights are not what the country needs. What America needs is a president who is steady, strong and sure. Anyone who gives the debate a second look will clearly see Romney seemed poised but he used up all of his ammunition and there isn’t really anything left for him to say.

The President absorbed it all. Mr. Obama was never hit with a knock-out blow. He used the rope-a-dope to great effect. By letting Romney rant himself into saying that he wasn’t going to cut taxes for the rich or touch Social Security Mr. Obama has put him in a trap that the governor doesn’t even recognize. For the next two weeks, until the next debate, the media will dissect and re-dissect what was said. They can’t help it because it’s in their nature and that will serve the POTUS more than directly attacking Romney ever could.

If the president had gone after Romney the media storyline would be different. Pundits would call him overly aggressive or even insecure and they would spend time trying to find the chinks in the president’s armor. Instead media sources will make the arguments that were left unsaid. Flip-flopping, the 47% comment, and Mr. Romney’s claims that he won’t cut taxes for the rich or touch Medicare will be at the center of analysis until the men face-off again. When the fact-checkers do their work Romney’s performance will lose a lot of its luster. So, what looks like a win may actually become problematic. That is just the beginning. Next week is the Vice-Presidential Debate and VP Joe Biden will surely be prepared to rip Congressman Paul Ryan a new one when they meet. In two weeks the President and the challenger will face each other again and this time the subject matter will be foreign policy. The last debate will be held in a town hall style. Aggression may have delivered Romney a seeming win but they will not serve him as well in the future. Saying a lie in a loud voice doesn’t make it less of a lie. The result of Romney’s rant seems like a win at first blush. However, if you really think about it now he’s overextended. Romney aggression raised the stakes but didn’t leave him any room to do anything else.  Now President Obama can take advantage of diminished expectations. He’s faced and absorbed the best his opponent had to offer. Romney is way out on a limb and the president is holding a chainsaw. To quote lumberjacks all over the world: “Timberrrrr!”

Time will tell but if you ask me Romney has just written a check with his mouth that his behind will not be able to cash. To the president I tip my hat. Game on!